Fruit Flys/Gnats

[cherishedtiger]

Hey there,
So the other day when feeding my Cresties I opened the terrarium and found it infested with fruit fly's/gnats! Swarms of them. This terrarium was just recently redone and cleaned out, all new substrate everything so I have no idea where they came from or most importantly how to get rid of them!!
We thought of doing a soap spray, but worried about harming the geckos, or soap residue messing with their feet. If I attempt to clean out the whole thing, I fear they will spread (opening the doors alone they fly out in masses) and go to my other terrariums.
Has anyone else ever had this issue, or know of any ways to remove them??
Thank you!!

 

[cherishedtiger]

Wow... never had a question go completely unanswered before... so no one has any ideas how to get rid of these pesky things without letting them out into the entire house to take over??? I cant find any advice anywhere!

 

[Crimson.Dawn]

I get them every once in a while. They are laying eggs in the CGD if they spilled it somewhere in the cage. that would be where its starting. Other then that i wouldn't worry. My geckos will eat them if they catch them with no ill effects. If you find the source and remove it the flys will follow.

 

[darkridder]

There is a difference between fruit flies and fungus gnats, so it could be either species. If you want to try and keep them under control try using apple cid vin in a cup wih a drop or two of dawn soap in it. They re attracted to the scent but the soap breaks the surface tension so when they land on it, they sink right in. You may want to switch over to paper towels for the time being as they are able to lay their eggs in the soil/substrate and the larvae can mature in it. And you may want to change your CGD more often as this is another place they will lay their eggs and their larvae grow.

 

[cherishedtiger]

Thanks a bunch! I have been switching out the CGD daily, just to keep it under control. Would go to paper towels, but my females are actively laying and refuse to go into the lay box. They would rather just bury the eggs in the substrate. Keeping the CGD fresher is helping. Would try the vinegar trick, however the hubby is deathly allergic to the stuff so many awesome vinegar tricks I cant use. But I think we may have them knocked down a bit. Thanks for all the advice!!